The Analysis of the Sino-Soviet Rivalry - Essay Example

Along this line, it can be posited that had the split not occurred, the Cold War could have gone on for much longer, as the two big socialist countries could have presented a united front against their counterpart democratic, free-capitalist countries like the United States of America, Great Britain, France, and all the other countries belonging to the free world. Some historians assert the real cause of the split was the transfer of nuclear technology (Khoo 19). Russia feared a nuclear-armed China, unsure what China would do with such a capability.

The split's ultimate importance, significance, and the benefit was an earlier end to the proxy wars between the communist and democratic countries, which made the world safer as it allowed the two sides to reduce their nuclear arsenals. The split could have contributed to the bankruptcy and eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. At the same time, it also allowed China to pursue another ideological alternative when it concerns its economic policies, which is now capitalist and enabled China to become an economic superpower. China is now the world's second-largest economy, with the most significant foreign currency reserves. The world could still be in Cold War uncertainties if the split did not happen. The division made possible a warmer and improved relationship between China and America (Arnold & Wiener 363).